METHODS: Secondary analysis was carried out on data collected by the Grand Challenge Project among older adults aged ≥65 years from Selangor. Data on sociodemographic information, medical history, cognitive function and functional performance were obtained through face-to-face interviews using standardized questionnaires. Visual acuity was measured using the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) chart while hearing was assessed using pure-tone audiometry. Descriptive analysis was used to measure the prevalence of the impairments, and logistic regression analysis was used to identify the risk factors.

RESULTS: The prevalence of dual sensory impairment and hearing impairment were at 10.5% and 76.2% respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that participants with lower cognitive scores were associated with dual sensory impairment (odds ratio, 0.90; 95% confidence interval, 0.83-0.98), while smoking was found associated with hearing impairment (odds ratio, 6.58; 95% confidence interval, 1.51-28.65).

Methods: A quasi-experimental trial study was conducted to compare the effectiveness of nasal rinsing between two groups. The intervention group was instructed to perform nasal rinsing during ablution, while the control group was not asked to do nasal rinsing. Both groups were provided progress diaries to record the symptoms of respiratory tract infection, including cough, rhinorrhoea, nasal blockage, fever, and sore throat, as well as thick phlegm, shortness of breath, epistaxis, and changes in sense of smell. The groups were also instructed to record any visits to clinics for their symptoms throughout their stay in Makkah for the Hajj ritual.

Results: The study showed that nasal rinsing significantly reduced the symptoms of cough, rhinorrhoea, and nasal blockage. The intervention group had an increased number of visits to healthcare facilities for treatment, when compared to those of the control group. There were no significant differences in the groups regarding the symptoms of fever and sore throat.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to examine the delays in the diagnosis of RA in patients presenting to the Rheumatology Unit, Sarawak General Hospital (SGH).

METHODS: Data on demographics and various delays were collected from the medical records from January 2015 until March 2018. Patient delay is defined as from the time onset of symptom to the first primary care presentation. Primary care delay is defined as from the first primary care presentation to referral to rheumatology. Rheumatology delay is defined as from rheumatology referral to appointment at the rheumatology clinic. Disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDS) delay is defined as from the rheumatology clinic appointment to starting DMARDS. Total delay is from symptom onset to starting DMARDS.

RESULTS: There were 84 new patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, out of which 66 were females (78.6%). The mean age was 54.1±12.0 years. Only 19 patients (22.6%) were treated with DMARDS within 12 weeks of symptom onset. The median time for patient delay was four weeks (Interquartile range (IQR) 2-20 weeks), while the median time primary care delay was 11 weeks (IQR 4-24 weeks). The median time for rheumatology delay was zero weeks (IQR 0- 1 week) and the DMARDS delay was zero week (IQR 0). The median time from symptom onset to DMARDS initiation was 23.5 weeks (IQR 13.25-51 weeks).

METHODS: This was an observational cohort on incident end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) patients from January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2008. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality. Patients contributed person-time from the date of ESKD diagnosis until death, transplant or end of study on December 31, 2014, whichever occurred first. An extended Cox regression model with time-varying exposure to dialysis was used to account for immortal time bias.

RESULTS: Of 3990 incident ESKD patients included, 70.2% patients initiated dialysis; 78.8% with haemodialysis (HD) while the remaining 21.2% with peritoneal dialysis (PD). Dialysis reduced hazard of death in both elderly and non-elderly patients even after controlling for comorbidities (hazard ratio [HR] 0.58, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.50, 0.68 and HR 0.76, 95% CI 0.69, 0.85, respectively). HD was protective in both the elderly and non-elderly (HR 0.53, 95% CI 0.45, 0.63 and HR 0.71, 95% CI 0.64, 0.80, respectively). PD significantly reduced risk of death compared to no dialysis in the elderly but not in the non-elderly.

METHODS: A total of 2322 respondents aged ≥60 years were recruited at baseline using the multistage sampling method, followed up at 18 months and 36 months.

RESULTS: Response rates at baseline, 18 months and 36 months were 87.8%, 77.3% and 67.1%, respectively. At baseline, the prevalence of successful aging, usual aging and mild cognitive impairment was 11%, 73% and 16%, respectively. The prevalence of single and multimorbidity at baseline were 25.9% and 50.3%, respectively. The incidence rates of mild cognitive impairment at 18 months and 36 months were 6.5 and 5.6 per 100 person-years. The incidence rates of multimorbidity at 18 months and 36 months were 23.7 and 21.5 per 100 person-years, respectively.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: All patients diagnosed with osteoporotic hip fracture admitted to Sarawak General Hospital from June 2019 to March 2021 were recruited, and demographic data and clinical features were obtained.

RESULTS: There were 140 patients with osteoporotic hip fracture, and 40 were men (28.6%). The mean age for males was 74.1 ± 9.5 years, while the mean age for females was 77.4 ± 9.1 years (p=0.06). The types of fracture consisted of neck of femur=78, intertrochanteric=61 and subtrochanteric=1. More men were active smokers (15% vs 1%, p<0.001). There were 20 men with secondary osteoporosis (50%), while 13 women (13%) had secondary osteoporosis (p<0.001). The causes of secondary osteoporosis among the men were hypogonadism, COPD, glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis, renal disease, androgen deprivation therapy, thyroid disorder, prostate cancer and previous gastrectomy. There were two deaths among the men and four deaths among the women during the inpatient and 3 months follow-up period. There was no statistical significance between the mortality rates between male patients (5%) and female patients (4%) (p=0.55).